Bell Aircraft Since 1935 PDF
Preview Bell Aircraft Since 1935
PUTNAM - . Aircraft Bell . I !. . since 1935 ;a J A Pelletier .... ":..P.o • • • .." .~ Bell Aircraft / I \~ Bell Aircraft since 1935 J Alain Pelletier NAVAL INSTITUTE PRESS FRONTISPIECE:BellModel212C-FNSA(cln30524)ofFrontierHelicopters droppingwaterduringademonstration. (Conair) ,©A.].Pelletier1992 FirstpublishedinGreatBritain1992by PutnamAeronauticalBooks,animprintof ConwayMaritimePressLtd 101FleetStreet LondonEC4YIDE PublishedanddistributedintheUnited StatesofAmericaandCanadabythe NavalInstitutePress 118MarylandAvenue,Annapolis,Maryland21402-5035 LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNo 91-66350 ISBN1-55750-056--8 Thiseditionisauthorizedforsaleonly intheUnitedStates,itsterritories andpossessions,andCanada Allrightsreserved.Unauthorized duplicationcontravenesapplicablelaws ManufacturedinGreatBritain Contents PrefaceandAcknowledgements 7 TwinTwo-TwelveandMilitaryTwin 142 Models209/249and309andAH-1 HueyCobra, Author'sNotes 8 KingCobra,SeaCobra,SuperCobraandViper 148 DesignD-2127X-22A 163 Originand CorporateHistory 9 Model214and214STSuperTransport 166 Model206LLongRangerandTexasRanger 169 XFM-1/YFM-1 Airacuda 19 Model409YAH-63 172 Model11115,26and33/P-39Airacobra 25 Model222 174 Model5XFL-1 Airabonita 40 Model301XV-IS 177 Models33and41P-63Kingcobra 42 Model412 180 Model27P-59Airacomet 50 Model680rotor 184 Model30 55 Model400/440TwinRanger 186 Model32XP-77 59 Model406(AHIP),OH-58DAdvancedScoutandKiowa XP-83 61 Warrior,andModel406CSCombatScout 188 Model47R-13/H-13/HTL/HULSioux 63 DesignD-292ACAP 193 Model42 80 Bell-BoeingV-22Osprey 195 L-39 82 Model230 200 Model44X-I andX-IE 83 Model58X-lA,BandD 83 Appendices Model48R-121H-12 91 ISelectedBellProjects 201 Model54XH-15 93 IIMiscellaneousTypes 213 Model60X-5 94 IIIMilestonesinBellHistory 221 Model52X-2 97 IVBellModelDesignations 224 Model61 HSL-1 100 VProductionDetails 227 Model65ATV 103 VIBellAircraftusedByNASA 237 Model200XV-3 105 VIIFrenchAiracobrasandKingcobras 241 Model204H-40andUH-1A/B/CIE/F/K/L/M/P VIIISerialNumbersofForeignMilitaryand Iroquois 108 CivilUH-1s 242 Model68X-14 119 IXBellHelicoptersCombatLosses- VietnamWar 245 Model205UH-lD/WUIVIXIroquois 122 XWestlandSiouxProductionList 246 Model206AandB]etRangerOH-58Kiowa/TH-57 AbbreviationsandAcronyms 251 SeaRanger 132 Model533 140 IndexofAircraft 252 Model207SiouxScout 141 Model208TwinDelta,Model212 IndexofPeople 'Althoughhumansubtletymakesa varietyofinventions,itwillneverdevise aninventionmorebeautiful,more simpleormoredirectthandoesnature, becauseinherinventions,nothingis lackingandnothingissuperfluous.' LAWRENCEDBELL Preface and Acknowledgements Bell is a unique manufacturer in complete panorama ofBell activities (Suripto Sugondo), the Museum of United States aviation history. Born since 1935 up to the present, Army Flying 0R Cross), the NASA as a tiny company with a handful of through its aeroplanes and helicop Lyndon B Johnson Space Center employees and virtually no design ters as well as some of its projects (Mike Gentry), the National Airand contracts, it became a significant andotherflyingmachines. Space Museum/Smithsonian In aircraft manufacturer within a few stitution (Paul Silbermann), the US years through afull seriesofinnova * * * Army, the US Army Aviation tive fixed-wing aircraft. Now when Museum (Thomas J Sabiston), the we look at these designs, from the Of course such a book could not US Army Center of Military His twin-engined XFM-l Airacuda to havebeenwrittenbyasingleisolated tory, the US Coast Guards (R L the ducted-fan X-22 VTOL re person. In fact, this is the work ofa Scheina); the embassies of Austria search aircraft, we must admit that full team comprising individuals (MajWinkler), Israel(Attias Saguit), none ofthemwas conventional. And throughout the world who shared New Zealand (0 Dunn), Norway all this was done thanks to the their knowledge. That is why I (Sigurd Hellstrom) and Spain (Gra tireless work of two outstanding remain indebted to all those men valosGuzman). personalities, both animated by the tioned here (plus those I may have A very special thanks to my good strongest will to succeed, Lawrence overlooked): friend Rene J Francillon for his D. BellandRobert].Woods. Bob Leder, Ted Hayes and TerryA prolonged assistance and en This innovative path was rein Arnold of Bell Helicopter Textron couragement.Mygratitudealsogoes forced afew years laterwhenathird Inc; Eleanor L Ponto ofBell Aero to the Putnam editorial team for man joined the team. His name was space Textron; Helene Carrier of their confidence in my project. And Arthur Young and with him Bell Textron Canada Ltee; my fellow finally, Iwish to express my deepest began to explore a nearly unknown historians Peter M Bowers, Robert thanks to Maryse, my wife, who has territory, that ofvertical flight. Even L Burns, Michel Cristescu, Richard endured more than she should have this explorationwas hard and full of Currie, Robert F Dorr,Jean-Pierre forthesakeofthisbook. trapsbutitprovedsuccessfultosuch Dubois,Jeffrey L Ethell, Edward F As illustrations have been an extentthattoday Bellhasbecome FurlerJr, J M G Gradidge, Joseph gathered from a variety of collec one ofthe world's major helicopter G Handelmann, Peter J Marson, tions, every attempt has been made manufacturers. One helicopter out David W Menard, David W to credit the original photographer oftwo flying in the western world is Ostrowski, Arthur Pearcy Jr, Jean but with the passing of time some aBell. This fact is sotrue thatin the Jacques Petit, Louis Sampite, Jerry names have been lost; my sincere minds of most people the name of Scutts, Jean-Pierre Tedesco, Carl apologies to those slighted by an Bellhas simplybecome synonymous WaldenmaierandJohnWegg. incorrectcreditline. withthehelicopter. Thanks also to Agusta SpA, For both the personalities in Boeing Helicopters (Madelyn volved and the products designed, Bush), Conair (Robert M Stitt), the history ofBellhad to bewritten. GIAT (Martine Chayrigues), ITPN ALAINJPELLETIER This account will give the reader a Nusantara Aircraft Industries Ltd Bures,January, 1992 Author's Notes Thisbookconformswith mostother numbers were allocated in sequen designations, where applicable, were Putnam titles. Only the histories of tial order and remained in use as given in the traditional way with the aircrafthave beencovered and these designation numbers for the com usualsequenceoftypesymbolletter, are presented in chronological mercial types. Variants were given a model number, series letter, block order. Where applicable the aero sufftx letter (in alphabetical order) number, and manufacturer identi planes are identified by both Bell and sub-variants asufftxnumber. At fication letters. For Bell, the last Model number and customer de a later date, this designation system wereasfollows: signation. At the end of the book, was used in adifferentway. Chosen numerousappendicesaredevoted to Modelnumberswerenotnecessarily BABellAtlanta,Georgia selected projects and miscellaneous given in sequential order, thereby BC Bell Aerosystems, Buffalo, New typesaswellastonon-technicaldata creating gaps, the first digit some York such as production details (con timesindicatingthe numberofrotor BEBell,Buffalo,NewYork struction numbers, serial numbers, blades. In addition the sufftx letters BFBell,FortWorth,Texas etc),listsandmilestones. were not necessarily allocated in From the beginning Bell used to alphabetical order and sometimes Manufacturer's serial numbers, assign a Model number during the had a meaning (U standing for generally called constructor's num preliminary phase of each project. Utility, L for LongorSP for Special bers or clns, have been allocated by For a long period, these Model Performance, etc). The US military sequence foreachmodel. I Origin and Corporate History planes and kites. In 1912, Larry completed his studies at the Santa Monica Polytechnic and decided to join his brother Grover who was at this time working with Glenn L Martinas anexhibitionflyer. Unfor tunately, a year later, on 4 July, 1913, Grover died in a crash while flying a Curtiss Pusher Model D. Thiswasashockfor Larrywhothen decidedto giveupaviation. Thanks to the obstinacy of his friend Dave Hunt, he returned and both built wing-floats for float planes. Soonafter, Larryenteredthe MartinCompanyand one ofhis first tasks was to prepare abiplanewhich had been sold to Pancho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary. In August 1915, the 23-year old Donald W Douglas joined Glenn L Martin as chief engineer; he would soon de A strong personality, Lawrence Dale Bell, sign the Martin MB-2. Two years the founder ofBell Aircraft Corporation. later, Martin decided to merge with RobertJWoods,fatherofmanyBelldesigns. (Bell) the Wright company to form (Bell) Lawrence (Larry) Dale Bell(*) was born on 5 April, 1894, in the little town ofMentone, Indiana. He was the youngest ofthe ten children of Isaac Evans Bell and Harriet Sarber Bell. The young Lawrence was only 13 when his parents decided to retire to Santa Monica, California. 1910 was an important year for Larry, he got his first paid job, and he and two ofhis brothers (Vaughn and Grover) saw an aeroplane for the first time at the Dominguez Field aviation meeting (10-20Janu ary, 1910). This event was an eye openerforthethreeboyswhoindue course began to build model aero- * Not to be confused with the famous inventorandaviationpioneerAlexanderGra ham Bell (see Canadian Aircraft since 1909, pages101-104),norwiththeEnglishpioneer pilot C Gordon Bell who tested the Hum phreysmonoplanein1911. LawrenceBellatthecontrolsofhisbrother's biplanein1912.(Bell)
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